Swayne Latham (January 24, 1898 – February 8, 1988) was a

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

player. He was then manager of the Memphis and

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

offices of B. F. Goodrich Rubber Co.

Vanderbilt University

He was a prominent

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

for Dan McGugin's

Vanderbilt Commodores football The Vanderbilt Commodores football program represents Vanderbilt University in the sport of American football. The Commodores compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the East Divis ...

teams of

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

1919

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...

, Latham was selected All-Southern by Stuart Towe, of the ''Knoxville Journal and Tribune.''

1920

Fred Russell Fred Russell (August 27, 1906 – January 26, 2003) was an American sportswriter from Tennessee who served as sports editor for the ''Nashville Banner'' for 68 years (1930–1998). Beginning in the 1960s he served for nearly three decades as ...

's ''Fifty Years of Vanderbilt Football'' gives the year of

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...

the title "One of Most Difficult Schedules." It recalls the

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

game which ended in a tie. With two minutes left in the game, Virginia was at Vanderbilt's 5-yard line with a 4th down and 1 to go. A newspaper account recalls the play, "There leaped a streak of Gold and Black. It was Swayne Latham, crippled and confined to the sideline for the early part of the game, who intercepted the ball and broke around right end. Commodores mowed down a path as he fought his way into the clear. On he raced up the sideline, 50, 60, 70, 80 yards to Virginia's 15, where his injured ankle could no longer outdistance Virginia's defense. A tackler threw him to earth. The official called the play back. Both teams were off-side. The greatest run of the season went for naught."

Personal life

He married Nathalie Davant on October 18, 1922.

References

External links

* 1898 births 1988 deaths American football quarterbacks All-Southern college football players Vanderbilt Commodores football players American football drop kickers Players of American football from Memphis, Tennessee {{collegefootball-player-stub